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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

So India won. Won because they simply refused to lose.There's something about M S Dhoni …I think Dhoni is the first fully grown-up skipper we've had in decades. Cool headed and aggressive. Oh, when I said that while watching the match yesterday, I was told those two adjectives don’t go together. I defy.

Oh well, I am not here to analyze the match. Many people have done that.

To me this match will remain memorable for more than one reason. Some of them besides the general ones are:-

0. Someone I know skipped his exam to watch the finals.1. Brothers Pathan (Yusuf & Irfan) playing for the country in a World Cup final. Before them only 2 sets of brothers have played together in international matches. Brothers Chappell (Ian & Greg) and brothers Waugh (Steve & Mark).2. A scene of celebration where an older brother carried his younger brother on his back.3. Last over of the match. It sure had much more capabilities of causing heart-attacks than the last over of India-Australia match. With Misbah-ul-Haq, at strike, Pakistan had full chances of taking away the cup; yet he, who had made it possible till then, played a “cute” lappu shot to Shreesanth at fine leg. Highest levels of tension do kill our capability of thinking coolly.4. Dhoni’s reasoning why he gave the final over to J Sharma. His words are sure going to make the difference in Indian Cricket sphere.. to his experienced seniors, to his young team-mates. "Bhajji wasn't sure, he wasn't getting his yorkers 100% right. I thought I'd give the over to a bowler who wanted to make a mark at the international level. It really didn't matter to me if we didn't win, because we'd given it our best."5. Dhoni giving away his shirt to a young fan and helping him wear it.

Now the reason for writing this post...The difference in giving thanks by the two captains.

Where Indian captain Dhoni was all praise and full of confidence for his young and talented side..Some of his dialogues..

"I'd like to thank my young team, which has been amazing. No one expected us to win, and now we deserve a big celebration."“I don’t have bowlers to match the experiences of Bret Lee or Shane Watson, still they did not let us down”.“Ravi, last evening when I read in Cricinfo that Aussies are your favourites for this semi-final, I thought let us prove you wrong”.

On the other hand Pakistani captain Shoaib Malik’s first two sentences were ..

“First of all I want to say something over here. I want to thank you back home Pakistan and where the Muslim lives all over the world.”

I fully understand that Islamic sentiments are thoroughly stuffed in their mindsets but heyy.. be careful dude !! Not all the Muslims ! Don’t ever say that. The Indian team had two Muslims playing for the country and they were just as happy as any other Indian Muslim all over the world at India’s victory. Don’t ever think all the Muslims in the world are supporting you. I hope you know that there are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan, and probably more Muslims praying for India than for Pakistan.

Have you ever thought how that statement of yours might have hurt the feelings of Danish Kaneria, your Hindu team-mate ? And what about that Hindu chap in team Pakistan’s uniform on the ground (I am not aware of his credentials) who continuously prayed by folding hands for your team’s victory ? Yes, the same man who did somersault after you defeated New Zealand in semis.

Mr. Malik, please note that in my country we often admire people for what they have achieved and not for which religion they belong to. Even a fellow Muslim, named Shah Rukh Khan hugged his countrymen and not you guys.

So, don’t bring your religion above the game. The Indian team has players from all the four major religions of the country, yet they played as Indians, not as Hindu, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians.

64 comments:

seriously.I was hurt, if no one else was.I think it is the background most of these chaps come from, and and the hate the system pumps in when their brains are still tender that makes them say things like that.Funny how all the commentators -who usually jump to grab the slightest opportunity- kept their mouths shut.

Pakistan played well. They actually even deserved to win, but this is a shame.funny, why cant the world grow out of religions.. even now!

I am not much into sports, and [i say this with head hung deep in shame, being a citizen of this country ;-)] i didnt watch any of the matches. Though of course I am as proud and happy as anyone that we won the match. :-D What I am really glad is that the Indian team showed an attitude, which I think is usually the biggest problem.

As for the second part, well said, very well said indeed. Mr Malik might have made the statement because of his religious sentiments, which matter to him above anything else. But we are the part of a country where our national religion is cricket. :-D

Well, it did come as a surprise to me that this was Hindu vs Muslim cricket match, rather than India vs. Pakistan. Haven't heard of those since the early days of cricket in Mumbai, when the clubs participating often had such membership rules.

Very Very well said cuckoo. The Paki captain went overboard with his comments thus displaying their mentality. Thats how they are brought up. Thats their mindset. They mix religion with everything they do and they think everyone who is of their religion is with them. Silly as it may sound, they ought to learn someday !.

really that statement was totally uncalled for... the news channels have been quick to catch on it.. i heard atleast 2 - 3 of them taking 'views' from people on that.. i am sure they will create ruckus for few days... :)and yes dhoni's attitude was amazing... really cool... cant forget his calm, composed and strong punch in the air in the last match when pathan bowled symonds out...and regd the t-shirt thing.. i think the kid was an AIDS patient.. bcoz during the match they had put on a ribbon in support.. so my first thought went there.. (though One of my roommates suggested he was SRK's son ;)) wanted to write all these in my blog.. but din mein time nahi mila.. anyways.. yahan likh diya. 1 hi baat hai :)

About Cool headed and aggressive- "I was told those two adjectives don’t go together. I defy." Nicely Said!

Dhoni has definitely shown lot of spark but then Rahul Dravid also showed some in his earlier days of captaincy. Here's hoping that the senseless administration and the pressure of being Captain of India doesn't affect Dhoni. I have come to love that guy for his attitude. Remark to Shashtri('Me and my boys proved you wrong. I am sure you are happier than us!') was brilliant!

Toothless Wonder,Well, it is not that only Pakis do that. Some of us Indians also think that way but it seriously sucks. I would call these people brain-washed, brain-drained etc. And sad part is that these people are never going to grow.

Yes, Pakistan had a good chance to grab the cup but then we WON !! :-)

Rahul Dravid also showed some in his earlier days of captaincy.. Maybe true. But, I still feel Dhoni is much more willing / capable of taking risks. I don’t think Dravid would have chosen J Sharma over Bhajji for last over.

Yes, I was almost ecstatic when he replied to Ravi Shastri like that. :D

You are very much right, some people’s mentality can never change and the sad part is... we also have some of those in our country.

I especially liked when he talked about proving Ravi Shastri wrong… Yes, there is surely something in him. Calm & composed. I was almost ecstatic when he replied to Ravi Shastri like that. :D And today also at Wankhede stadium Dhoni was the same. Oh my, I like that dude! He deserves at least an exclusive post from me now.

I was curious as to why do you have the same post in two places?.. Oh, so you’ve become a regular there ?? Arrey even I am not !! Well, I have 2 different sets of readers in these two places, so posted the same. Here I have some regulars, there I am a completely new bee(birdie) trying to make my place.Also, this is MY blog, my priority. I have much more freedom and resources to write here. Hope you understand. :-)

chuck the religion factor outta the game please....and it really was a gr8 victory... and i was one of those unfortunate souls who were at work during the match!! :((btw, one fact correction... we've had the Flowers and Odumbes too playing in international matches!! :)

Nicely written thoughts Cuckoo...I believe India also won because, as Dhoni rightly said, it was in our destiny. Starting from underdogs,beating the top teams & the winning the final, it was nothing less than destiny & I agree with you, I think Shoaib Malik has overspoken his words, which he should have refrained from speaking as it hurts so many sentiments!

oh my god that match gave me quite a few heart attacks specially in the end after the first six i was so afraid to look at the screen after the gully cricket shot..and i was totally disgusted by his comment that muslims around the world were rooting for him.. did he forget that irfan pathan took 3 wickets for india? why mix religion with sport.. let them each have their own place

Thanks for your visit Cuckoo, and welcome again. You asked me which template I use. It's minima blue, but I've modified it a bit in order to be able to post larger photos. Don't ask me how, I have no idea! All I know is that I played a little with the HTML codes until the result was satisfactory enough for what I wanted.

Very well writen post,though I think Malik meant all those non-Indian muslims ;-) ..but yes,it hurts those non-muslim pple live in Pakistan ...then,they r bit conservative & what's new in it??

"I think Dhoni is the first fully grown-up skipper we've had in decades"

Hey,come on!! How can ya say it (actually problem only with the wrd 'first')?? may b Cuckoo forgot the name - 'Sourav Ganguly'...who NOT only united the team which otherwise very much treated according to the provinces,forming TEAM INDIA & BRING the aggresion that help us to show Ausies/Eng that we r very much believer of Tit-4-Tat .... not mentioning his fab. stat.

P.S.- Initially i was disapointed when Sachin /Sourav were not incld. in T20 & Sachin refuse 2 take the ODI captaincy, BUT after Dhoni's Dhamaka(all those replies with his on-field coolness)...i agree he's now RIGHT CHOICE DUDE as captain :-)

Frankly, God before game sounds like a good motto to me, but it's still funny to think of two opposing teams praying for victory. I remember hearing one person shouting, right after a basketball game, "Yes; there is a God!" Does that mean that God was against the other team? Can we be so bold as to reduce the Almighty to a fan of sports franchises? Wouldn't it be better to pray according to captain Dhoni's sentiments, that everyone give it their best, and maybe thank God for an amazing team?

i don't even know who captained pakistan, who ever he is, obviously seems to be very sick. this is not a match between hindus and muslims.

i missed it completely, never knew there was a match, a final of something. never heard of a 20/20, the idea itself is so absurd. Mad hitting is not cricket, its a highly intricate and artistic game,flamboyance and elegance makes it a treat to watch.

i was traveling. i think right at that moment, when this match was going on, late in the evening, i was standing in pouring rain with my bags in a state of shock and utter disbelief, hungry since morning because of a bandh, not even a cup of chai, and You know Cuckooji, i have no religion, i follow no philosophy nor any faith, i was in a temple town of Guruvayur, tired and hungry, looking for a room to stay, but i was denied accomodation because of muslim name i carry on my ID.

Congratulations!You know, cricket is far from being my favourite sport, so I would refrain myself from further commenting...Loved to read your interview of Peter!Just left Bali and posted on Singapore at Blogtrotter. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

first of all, thanks to comment on my old blog(http://kadnan.blogspot.com)

Why do you Indians need some reason to make a fuss about anything related with Pakistan? What Shoaib was Unintentional.

Instead of whining about what shoaib said or not, you indians should condemn Nirender Moodi who didn;t announce any prizes to Pathan Brothers because they are Muslims. The so called Secularism status of India doesn't exist in reality anyway.

Quit your typical Indian attitude- YOu guys won the cup sp enjoy the moments.

I would definately make a post about filthy attitude of some Indians against Pakistan

Good info. I was wondering if you'd cover only Leukemia or some other diseases as well.

I would like to hear some on Parkinson's disease. Really look forward to your posts now.

Actually I'm writing about Leukemia, because my lovely, 2 years old grandson Kevin is sick. He was healthy, never sick, but since 2month he was diagnosed with Leukemia.I'll be write about Parkinson's disease too - very soon.

Oh well said, sweet lady! How unsporting to make such an unhelpful and decisive remark - sport is meant to unite, not divide.. he has done his country no credit by that unfortunate, and ill-advised comment. Sad, eh?

Could you only see that Modi didnt give anything to the Yousuf brothers?? Why does this always have to go down to Modi & Thackeray?

Let me enlighten you that Narendra Modi has got nothing to do with cricket and secondly the Pathan brothers represented INDIA, not Gujrat or Baroda.Even then Modi has announced 11 lakh for both of them fyi, and that is more than what Dhoni gets from his state.(I can give you the web links if you want)

They have been showered millions by the cricket board and the sponsors. Plus fyi, they are given a free travel for the next five years by Air India..So next time they come to your city with their parents, grandparents and whatnots, they arent going to pay a penny.

1) Bollywood is ruled by the Khans and 'WE' are loving every bit of it. Do you have one instance of a Hindu Superstar in YOUR country?

2) Till date, 'WE' have had 3 Muslims as the President of India. For your information it is the highest authority in india And 'WE' have not complained. Not your fault. Probably you wont understand because you simply dont know the difference between a President and an Army General. In 'YOUR' country, its the same right?? Can you tell me the name of ONE Hindu President in YOUR country?

3) Our Indian team was at one time led by a Muslim called Mohammed Azaruddin, and he was the most successful Indian captain in his time.And 'WE' did not complain. In 1967,the captain of the INDIAN team which won its first overseas test was a Muslim named Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and INDIA celebrated even then.Could Danesh Kaneria become Pakistan Captain any day?? or Yousuf Yohana??(poor guy had to change religion, still cant)

4) 'WE' love Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ghulam Ali saab. They came here and peformed.I have personally attended a Ghulam Ali concert. How do you think 'WE' treat him here, so that he comes and performs every 2 months in 'OUR' own MUMBAI??? We spend our hard earned money to hear their songs. We encourage YOUR singers to come here and participate in OUR Talent hunt shows(Amanat Ali and Mussarat Abbas) and I feel utter jealousy to tell you that the beautiful HINDU chic sitting in front of me is crazy about Amanat. And 'YOU' deny visas to our artists??

5) There are terrorist threats in our country and the whole world including Uncle Sam knows who is responsible. Malegaon which consists of nearly 50% Muslims had bombs exploded inside 'madarsas'. And they were planted by Muslims (not Indian Muslims) themselves. 'WE' did not plant it.

6) While I am writing this, an INDIAN colleague, who incidentally happens to be a Muslim is sitting besides me and I really regret to tell you that he agrees to every single point I have written.

So please YOU stop bickering about what our feelings for Muslims are. Time for a little introspection Adnaan bhai?? Actually I wrote this in office. I can present atleast half a dozen points more if I do this on a holiday.Please feel free to ask for more.

OOGLE MIYAAN, i agree with every word you said.You forgot some vital factsWe've had Muslim heads of state, muslim hockey captains.i am a proud Indian muslim though i don't follow any religion, My crazy muslim family fires crackers much to my annoyance when ever team India wins, against Pakistan or any other team. Silly noisy people.i am 60, i have never been discriminated for carrying a muslim name. The incident mentioned in my above comment is the only incident in my life, that is the reason for my shock and disbelief as it is not a common occarance. i enter all places of worship freely without hesitation, temple, mosque, church or a gurdwara. i have some very fond memories of my visits to some temples where people welcomed me knowing very well that i don't belong to their religion. Most of my friends are Hindus.My nephew's Hindu friend has brought some goodies for Iftaar today, This is the month of Ramzaan.

Mr. Adnaan Siddiqui, There is more freedom for Muslims here in India than you ever hope to find in any Islaamic country.

but yeah, not Muslims all over the world :), but being an islamic country tht statement didnt look weird.

And you know here, we guys had the pleasure to watch the match with some of our pakistani friends, while watching we were all rivals and supporting our own teams and when we won, we throwed a party to them where we all freaked out. It was so much fun.

SagNik,Thank you for liking the post. Yes, I would also like to think that about Shoaib Malik. A bit ? I think a lot conservative.

may b Cuckoo forgot the name - 'Sourav Ganguly'... No, I haven’t forgotten him. I know he has done a lot as a captain but I still stick to my words. Dhoni is first fully grown up skipper. SagNik, I can understand your concern being from Kolkata.. :-)

Wonderful victory, wasn't it? :-) but I think that you are rushing, as others are, in making Dhoni into 'The Super Captain' with all the adjectives in your kitty. I think that MSD was plain lucky more than anything else. I do not take anything away from the victory though and definitely he played his part - but by no means has he shown himself to be a more imaginative and aggressive captain. I dont blame him, he is only 2 years old in intl cricket and yes, has a cool head on his strong shoulders - but dont take him to heights just yet - wait and watch., About Shoaib Malik, I agree with you completely - otherwise a fine cricketer, made a complete idiot out of himself with those religious remarks!

Now it's like DUMB girls,who mixed their fantacies with fact....tell me, ONLY ONE win (no doubt it was WC,but i think all knows what T20 is compare to 50-50 ODIs ....,even Ausies proved in first two matches) make him more matured skipper than Sourav ???

Dhoni may b good captain ,but he yet to prove a lottttt ..I think,anybody who has a lil' knowledge in cricket will agree with me

How can one even compare Dhoni wid Sourav & saying he's 'more' mature than him !!!!!!

Craver,Nice thinking there. We can just play our best & hope for the best.Thank you friend. :-)

Krystyna,Thank you very much. Keep coming.

Rauf,I know you were traveling and I am waiting for the pictures. :-)Oh, you don’t like the Twenty20 game ? It is going to become popular here, so be prepared.

About Shoaib Malik’s statement.. More than anything else, even I would want to think that it was a slip of tongue. But not only me, almost everyone criticized him. Yes I agree, as you said, there are many sick people in this world.Alas! We can not change the world.

Mathew,Yes, more than anything else even I would want to think that it was a slip of tongue.

Katch,Thank you very much. Keep coming.

Niki,Thank you very much. You want to be an Indian ?? Are you sure ? Thanks for your visit. Keep coming.

Yup, Dhoni was amazing! And the differences in the attitudes of both skippers was plain for all to see. Sad that mankind still uses religion for separation and sadder that it has come especially in games :(

Right or wrong shuld be debated by logic and not by regional allegations. The blog writer admonishes Shoaib Malik in the post , but unfortunately I see the same spirit when she speaks about the 'Bong Connection'...

Case in point - Sourav was recently nominated for the Castrol Award for greatest Indian skipper ever by a panel of journalists & ex-cricketers - surely not everyone of them were Bongs?

Regarding your other comments & post, I don’t think I have to answer you separately as two of my readers (thanks to them for saving my time and effort) Oogle and Rauf have already done so. Kindly read their comments.

I would definately make a post about filthy attitude of some Indians against Pakistan… If this is your attitude, then God Bless you. I think many of us including me would write a post on this.

Thank you for all your visits and I am glad that you have become quite a regular here. :-) My blog keeps attracting people for some reason or the other. :-)

Cheers !!

Krystyna,Oh dear, that’s so sad to know. How is he doing now ? Give my love to him.

Try to be happy and cheerful in between your all the chores.

Carol,Yes, it is very sad. Personally I would want to think that it was a slip of tongue though it wasn’t.

Ajeya,Glad to know that you’ve become a fan of 20-20. Yes, I too think that 20-20 is going to stay here because of its excitement, carefree shots & nail-biting finish and of course short duration.

And yes, many thanks for your comment on his blog. You’ve replied it well. :-)

Oogle,I can’t express my gratitude to you for reducing my work. I can understand how you'd have felt after reading his comments.

Rauf,You are another one to save my time & efforts of replying to Adnan and how beautifully you showed that you are a human first.

Maverick,There you showed another example of solidarity and how we can all live in peace & harmony and share the happiness & sorrows of each other.

but being an islamic country tht statement didnt look weird… Glad that some people have not read your statement. This place would have surely become a battle ground. ;)

Adnan,freedom to curse Pakistan and continue your loyalty with India… Then what do you expect Indian Muslims to do ? Be loyal to your Pakistan ? God Bless you !!

Pijush,Thank you very much. Your comment is like an ice chilled coffee amongst these heated garma garm comments. :-)

BTW, this is not the first time that my post has been judged as ‘Post of the Day’. :-)

I have objection with the phrase continue your loyalty …. Not only you, any sane person will have objection to it. :-)

Ranjeet,Yes, I agree that Dhoni is quite new to captaincy and he has to go a long way to prove himself and perhaps that is why BCCI has given him the chance, very rightly assuming that the 3 seniors will not last till next World Cup. After all they have to prepare someone for the long run. But we must also agree that he has shown (from whatever chances he got) all the qualities for becoming a good captain.Nobody is taking away the credits of our former captains, they have done their part. Now it’s for the young ones to take the reins in their hands. Am I not right ?

I am aware that Dhoni is very new to captaincy and he has to go a long way to prove himself and perhaps that is why BCCI has given him the chance, very rightly assuming that the 3 seniors will not last till next World Cup. After all they have to prepare someone for the long run.

And no one is taking away the credits of Saurav Ganguly as a captain but then Azharuddin was also very good. Why only Ganguly, I should not compare Dhoni with anyone.

Dhoni or anyone else, the Aussies are going to play their game & no one can ever stop them. I think if I say that the Aussies are the best team in the world, I would be stamped as a traitor here. Eh ?

Please remember that we two (you & me to be precise) are 2 different individuals and it is absolutely not necessary that we two should agree on any point.

I can see there is a small typing mistake on my part in one place & am sorry about that. When you type so long, so many & so lovely comments, it ought to happen sometimes.“I think Dhoni is much more matured & cooler than Saurav Ganguly”. should have been “I think Dhoni will be much more matured & cooler than Saurav Ganguly”.

Please don’t try to put words in my mouth (comment) which I have not said and provoke reactions from others.

"I can understand your concern being from Kolkata. :-)”.. You very conveniently picked up the sentence, ignored the smiley and made a mountain out of a molehill…If I were from Kolkata and was told the same sentence, do you know what would have been my reaction ?My reaction would have been “Oh yes, why not ? Why shouldn’t I vouch for him… I am so proud of him, after all he is from my place/city !!”. Tell me, don’t we feel proud if someone from our school/college/colony becomes a hero ? Then why such fuss ? Why can’t you take things sportingly ?

Mr. Sag_Nik, don’t know about you but I don’t come here to increase my BP. The arguments can go on till eternity especially if one wants to misunderstand things. So chillax and let others as well.

Have fun !

Alpine,Well, people like Shoaib can be seen all over the world.

Ananda,I welcome you once again on my blog. And I must admit I am appalled to see your comment. If you’ve read the comments carefully, the so called ‘Bong connection’ was picked up/misinterpreted by SagNik & NOT by me. So, if you want to argue over that, please do so with him but not here on my blog. I won’t allow that.And no one is taking away the credits of Saurav Ganguly as a captain. If you note then the awards were announced on 3rd, much after I wrote my last comment here and I am elated that Saurav won the award. No one else from the current band deserved it.

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